JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday said Asean “will not be taken hostage” by the Myanmar crisis and urged leaders not to “be dragged by currents of rivalry” amid rising geopolitical tensions.

“We have to keep fighting and Asean will not be held hostage by the Myanmar issue. Asean will continue to create peace, to create stability, to create prosperity,” he told a packed press conference at the close of the 43rd Asean Summit and related summits, which were held from Tuesday to Thursday.

Asean leaders are grappling with a longstanding conflict in Myanmar, which was plunged into a crisis after its military junta launched a coup against the democratically elected government in February 2021.

Following a review of the implementation of the five-point consensus – the main guidance for the grouping in resolving the crisis in Myanmar – Asean leaders have outlined steps such as the adoption of an informal “troika approach” to Asean’s special envoy on Myanmar.

This approach will see the Asean chairman supported by the immediate past and incoming chairs for continuity, given that the situation in Myanmar is unlikely to change in a one-year timeframe.

Asean leaders also called on the country’s armed forces “in particular” to end hostilities.

Mr Widodo said that under Indonesia’s chairmanship, Asean has carried out 145 engagements with 70 stakeholders in Myanmar, adding that trust has begun to emerge among them. While peace takes a long time to create, “we have to keep doing it”, he added.

At a meeting with Asean leaders on Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Myanmar was facing a “worsening political, humanitarian, and human rights” situation. He urged the military junta to release all political prisoners and “open the door to a return to democratic rule”.

Mr Guterres lauded Asean’s “principled approach” in resolving the Myanmar crisis through the five-point consensus and bloc chair Indonesia’s “determined efforts” to engage all sides of the conflict in political dialogue.

The consensus calls for a dialogue between all parties, an immediate halt to the violence in Myanmar, the appointment of an Asean special envoy to facilitate mediation, humanitarian assistance, and a visit by an Asean delegation to Myanmar to meet all concerned parties.

Without mentioning countries, Mr Widodo reiterated his message for the 10-nation bloc to maintain unity and centrality in the face of big-power rivalry.

“I can guarantee you, if we are not able to manage differences, we will be destroyed. If we join the currents of rivalry, we will be destroyed. This world needs a safe house, and Asean is on track to be able to perform that role,” he said.

Mr Widodo also said he had told leaders at the various meetings that they have an equally significant responsibility to avoid creating new conflicts and tensions.

“At the same time, we also have a responsibility to reduce heated tensions, to melt the frozen atmosphere, to create a space for dialogue,” he added.

He mentioned several achievements, including an agreement for end-to-end development of the electric vehicle ecosystem in the region, which is fully supported by China, Japan and South Korea. 

Mr Widodo also said East Asia Summit leaders have agreed on a joint statement regarding the epicentrum of growth “after going through a long and difficult process”.

The statement released on Thursday stated that the leaders will maintain and promote the region as an “epicentrum of growth” by building resilience against emerging challenges and future shocks through cooperation on enhancing energy security and food security, maintaining financial stability, and strengthening regional health architecture.

Mr Widodo vowed that Asean, as part of the Asia-Pacific region, will continue to work hard, collaborate and invite all parties to maintain regional peace and stability. Asean, as well as Indonesia, will continue to voice the interests of Pacific countries and developing countries, including pushing for their rights to raise the welfare of their people through industrial down-streaming.

At the close of the summits on Thursday, Mr Widodo handed over the gavel of the Asean chair to Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, who will hold the rotating chairmanship of the bloc in 2024.